Miscellaneous unorganized material/WIAT
WIAT is the CBS affiliate in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston, Alabama television market. It is a UHF television station licensed to Birmingham, on digital channel 30, although through the use of PSIP technology the stations channel number is displayed as 42.1. Its transmitter is located on Red Mountain, just by the city's southern edge. Untamed Sports TV was added on a subchannel in 2009. WIAT promotes 42.2 as a separate channel on the air and the station's website. [4] In addition to Untamed Sports, 42.2 also carries live and tape-delayed local high school sports and the Rick and Bubba show. On April 5, 2010, the FCC granted WIAT a construction permit for a digital fill-in translator on their pre-analog allotment Channel 42.[5] The translator will serve the Tuscaloosa area. News operation Unlike most CBS affiliates in the Central Time Zone, WIAT does not air local news during the weekday noon timeslot. In October 2005, WIAT teamed with former WB affiliate WTTO, now a CW affiliate (as of September 2006) to begin producing a 9 p.m. newscast. Using the same set and anchors as WIAT and a modified graphics package, the CW21 News at 9 (formerly WB21 News at 9) aired seven days a week. However, the newscasts were discontinued on October 13, 2006, after the finalization of the Media General/New Vision deal, therefore leaving WTTO with no evening newscasts, as WVTM opted not to continue them under the previous Media General agreement. In August 2007, the station began Wake Up Alabama, a morning newscast. It has also made several high-profile hires of major Birmingham television personalities. These include Cynthia Gould, formerly a long-time anchor at rival WBRC; Mark Prater, who previously held meteorologist positions at WBRC and WBMA; former long-time WVTM sports director and news anchor Jim Dunaway; and Ken Lass, another well known alumnus of WVTM. The station now also has the largest on-air sports team in Alabama. WIAT's 10 p.m. newscast often finishes at the top of the ratings for individual newscasts and continues to grow. The change has been dramatic in all facets of the station. In 2007 and 2008, WIAT won more Alabama Broadcasters Association Awards than any other station, as well as numerous Associated Press Awards, including the following: *Best Anchor: Sherri Jackson *Best Reporter: Stephen Hauck *Best Website: www.cbs42.com *Best Feature News Story (twice running) *Best Station Promotion *Best Commercial Production (twice running) *Best Public Service Announcement *Best Web Journalism On April 9, 2010, WIAT began broadcasting its local newscasts in High Definition, making WIAT the third station in the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston market after WVTM and WBRC to do so. The news set and the graphics were also redesigned in the transition to HD. Ratings WIAT has seen some of the largest ratings gains in its history since this sale, posting higher late news ratings than WVTM since 2006. WIAT is now considered one of the strongest overall CBS affiliates in the nation; only a decade ago, it was one of the weakest. Additionally, CBS' broadcasts of Southeastern Conference football garner higher ratings on WIAT than anywhere else in the nation. The ratings continue to climb in all dayparts, and as the other stations in Central Alabama continually lose household ratings from sign on to sign off, WIAT is the only station to post household growth year to year. News/station presentation Newscast titles *''42 News'' (1960s-1974 and 1992-1998) *''42 NewsPlus'' (1974-1980) *''Metro News'' (1980-1987) *''Action News'' (1987-1992) *''42 Daily News'' (1998-2004) *''News 42'' (2004-2007) *''CBS 42 News'' (2007-present) Station slogans *''The Best is Right Here on TV-42/TV-42 is Easy on the Eyes (1973-1974; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''See The Best....TV-42 (1974-1975; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''The Best In View: Channel 42'' (mid 1970s) *''Catch the Brightest Stars on TV-42'' (1975-1976; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''TV-42, We're The Hot Ones (1976-1977; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''There's Something in Air, on TV-42 ''(1977-1978; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''TV-42, Turn Us On, We'll Turn You On ''(1978-1979; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''We're Looking Good, on TV-42 ''(1979-1980; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Looking Better Than Ever (1980s) *''Looking Good Together on TV-42 (1980-1981; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Reach for the Stars on TV-42 (''1981-1982;'' local version of CBS ad campaign, used durung the news opening'')'' *''Great Moments on 42 (1982-1983;'' local version of CBS ad campaign'')'' *''We've Got the Touch, You and 42 (1983-1984; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''You and 42, We've Got the Touch ''(1984-1985; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''We've Got the Touch on 42 ''(1985-1986; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Share the Spirit on 42 (1986-1987; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''42 Spirit, oh yes (1987-1988; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''You Can Feel It on 42 ''(1988-1989; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Get Ready for 42 ''(1989-1991; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Birmingham's News for the '90s (1990-1992) *''The Look of Birmingham is 42 (1991-1992; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''This is CBS, on 42 ''(1992-1994; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''I am 42 Birmingham People ''(1994-1995; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''The Look of Birmingham (1992-1995; unrelated of 1991-1992 "The Look of America is CBS" ad campaign) *''You're on WBMG 42 (1995-1996; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Coverage You Can Count On (1996-1997) *''Welcome Home to CBS42 (1996-1997; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''CBS 42, Welcome Home ''(1998-1999; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''It's About Time (1998-2007) *''The Address is CBS 42 (1999-2000; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''CBS 42 It's All Here (2000-2005; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''Everybody's Watching CBS 42 (2005-2006; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''We Are CBS 42 (2006-2009; local version of CBS ad campaign) *''The Names You Know... The Experience You Trust!'' (2009-present) *''Only CBS 42, Only CBS (2009-present; local version of CBS ad campaign) News Music Packages On-air staff Current on-air staff '''Anchors' *Cynthia Gould - weeknights at 5 p.m. *Stephen Hauck - weekday mornings Wake Up Alabama (5-7 a.m.) *Emily Ingram - weekday mornings Wake Up Alabama (5-7 a.m.) *Sherri Jackson - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. *Alexa Jones - weekday mornings Wake Up Alabama (5-7 a.m.) *Ken Lass - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. *Nicole Wyatt - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. CBS 42 Weather Team *Mark Prater (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. *Kalee Dionne - weekday mornings Wake Up Alabama (5-7 a.m.) *Charles Daniel - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. *David Neal - Fill-in Meteorologist Sports Team *Brad Radice - Sports Director; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. *Jim Dunaway - Sports Anchor; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. *Abby Chin - sports reporter and fill-in anchor *Scott Griffin - sports analyst *B.J. Millican - sports producer Reporters *Kim Carapucci *Rick Jackson - morning reporter *Mike McClanahan - general assignment reporter *Shanisty Myers - general assignment reporter *Phillip Ohnemus - general assignment reporter/video journalist *Kim Rankin - general assignment reporter *Al Ratcliffe - general assignment reporter *Beverly Tanner - general assignment reporter *Brittany Woodby *Leigh Garner Former on-air news staff *Fred Barnhill - meteorologist *Doug Bell - sports director (??-1997; husband of WCFT/WJSU news anchor Brenda Ladun; currently doing freelance sports reporting) *Sarah Black - meteorologist *Barbara Bolding - anchor *Bill Bolen - anchor (1965-1969, left to join WBRC, where he remained until his retirement in 2010) *Declan Cannon - meteorologist (1998-2002) *Lynida Cardwell - anchor *Valorie Carter - anchor (??-1997: currently on WSFA in Montgomery) *Keith Cate - anchor (1998-2000; currently at WFLA-TV in Tampa) *Tommy Charles - sports anchor (1970s; better known as a local radio personality on WSGN, WYDE, WAQY, WVOK, WRKK/WQUS and WERC) *Tim Coleman - meteorologist *Ki Sanders Corley - anchor *Ken Daily - meteorologist *Don Davis - meteorologist *Paul Finebaum - sports director (1998-2001; currently hosting syndicated sports talk show based at WJOX) *Hank Erwin - anchor (late 1970s-early 1980s; later became a news reporter on WYDE, now a member of the Alabama State Senate representing Shelby County) *Catherine Gee - anchor/meteorolgist *Ryan Goswick - meteorolgist *Julie Golden - weather reporter, then news anchor (late 1980s) *Bob Greene - sports anchor *Melony Johnson - anchor *David Lamb - anchor (2000-2006; currently morning drive announcer on WDJC) *Andrea Lindenberg - anchor (currently morning anchor on WVTM-TV) *Marianne Matthews - anchor (late 1980s) *Myke Motley - meteorologist (deceased) *Bonnie McLaughlin - meteorologist (1998-2002; married to former meteorologist Declan Cannon) *Kate Mundy - weekend anchor *Bill Murray - meteorologist *Richard Ortner - meteorologist (1996-1998; last at KMGH in Denver) *Paul Ossmann - meteorologist (late 1980s: currently on WXIA and WATL in Atlanta) *Steve Ross - anchor (late 1980s) *David Sawyer - meteorologist (2004-2009; now at WNCT in Greenville, North Carolina) *Chris Schauble - anchor (now at KNBC Los Angeles) *Ben Smith - meteorologist (currently at WHNT in Huntsville) *Sam Smth - weekend sports anchor *Emily Stroud - anchor *Chip Tarkenton - sports anchor (late 1980s; currently at WRIC in Richmond; nephew of former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton) *Jim Tice - meteorologist *Tom Whitley - sports anchor (late 1970s) *Charley Wideman - weather reporter (1960s) *Herb Winches - sports anchor (2005-2006) Station Logos